Detroit Tigers: What’s on their 2022 post-lockout to-do list

The Detroit Tigers are one of the most improved teams in all of Major League Baseball so far this offseason; that point can’t be argued. The Tigers hit free agency hard in the opening months of the 2021-2022 offseason, signing both Javier Baez and Eduardo Rodriguez to significant deals. Both players will certainly bring Detroit closer to contention.

This is all without mentioning their acquisition on the trade market, catcher Tucker Barnhart. Catcher has been a big point of weakness in Detroit for many years, Barnhart will bring the club a gold glove caliber backstop to pair with their Gold Glove-caliber shortstop Javy Baez.

The Detroit Tigers are slowly becoming an exciting ball club and, while the acquisitions of Baez, Rodriguez, and Barnhart together are a good start, there is still more work to be done.

Let’s take a look at the Detroit Tigers to-do list once the Major League Baseball lockout is lifted.

While there is definitely no shortage of relief-pitching options available on the free agent market, there seems to be a relatively small list of pitchers with proven experience closing games. The Tigers have put the pedal-to-the-metal to begin the offseason and there’s no reason they should think about lifting now.

The Detroit Tigers should sign Kenley Jansen to be their closer

Kenley Jansen went from a minor-league catcher to relief pitcher on the Dodgers’ big league roster in roughly a year. Since then, he has blossomed into one of the game’s very best closers. His extensive track record consists of three All Star appearances, two NL Reliever of the Year awards, a World Series ring, 350 saves, and a 2.37 career ERA with 1,022 strikeouts. He is just the 12th reliever in MLB history to record 1,000 strikeouts in his career. The long story short with Jansen is that he’s the best of the best.

The longtime Los Angeles Dodger, Kenley Jansen is now 34 years old and entering his second career trip through free agency. Coming off of a five-year, $80 million contract that he landed with the Dodgers back in 2017, Jansen features one of the best cutters in the game. Throwing the pitch just under 60% of the time in 2021 and just over 60% in 2020, Jansen relies heavily on the mid-90s cutter that is absolutely deadly and has been giving hitter fits since he burst onto the scene in 2010.

Since becoming a full-time reliever, Jansen has never appeared in less than 51 games in a season dating all the way back to 2011. His career strikeouts per nine inning percentage is at 13.0, which is good for sixth in active relief pitchers that have over 100 appearances to their name (courtesy of that statistic is thanks to Stathead, a baseball nerd heaven for someone like myself).

In MLB Trade Rumors’ annual top 50 free agent predictions, they had Jansen ranked as the #29 free agent going into the offseason and predicted that he would land a two-year, $26 million contract in free agency. My prediction? The Detroit Tigers continue to spend spend spend and sign Kenley Jansen to a three-year, $39 million contract, essentially adding another year at $13 million to MLBTR’s prediction.

The Detroit Tigers should sign Sean Doolittle to pair with lefty Gregory Soto

In his prime, Sean Doolittle was one of MLB’s best left-handed relief pitchers. While 2018 was his last truly dominant season, Doolittle has been a serviceable back-of-the-bullpen option for the Nationals, Reds, and Mariners.

A two-time All-Star, Sean Doolittle is a strikeout artist who is very effective at limiting the walk and the home run, traits that all teams could use on their staff. Bouncing from the Reds to the Mariners in 2021, Doolittle ended the season with 56 appearances, striking out 53 and walking just 23 in 49 innings.

Should Detroit bring Sean Doolittle aboard, he would serve as a left-handed setup man for new closer Kenley Jansen and would pair nicely with Gregory Soto, a reliever the Tigers gave a look at in the closer’s role in 2021 but is best served as a long-relief option.

Miguel Del Pozo is another intriguing but inexperienced left-handed option for the club, but he is not quite ready to be in the same conversation as Doolittle or Soto.

The Detroit Tigers should sign Mitch Moreland as their first baseman

Now I know the Detroit Tigers are not made of money, but the club currently has something of a black hole on their depth chart at first base. One option on the free agent market who wouldn’t break the bank for the Tigers is former Gold Glove winner Mitch Moreland.

Moreland, 36, is a former All-Star and World Series champion who still possesses double-digit home run power and is durable enough to present Detroit with a reliable and cheap option at first.

With an aging Miguel Cabrera the only true first baseman currently on the 40-man, the Tigers also have catcher Eric Haase and utilitymen Harold and Willi Castro on-hand and capable of playing first but all four of the previously mentioned players are not first baseman by trade.

Mitch Moreland has put up better numbers against right-handed pitchers in his career, but that is mostly due to the sample size (he has appeared in 1,100+ games against righties and just 571 against southpaws). While has has shown the ability to hit for power against all pitching, he would slot in nicely in the Tigers lineup, potentially splitting time at first base and designated hitter with any number of Eric Haase, Miguel Cabrera, W. Castro, H. Castro, Jonathan Schoop, and Jeimer Candelario.